beating the devil's tattoo
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Tapping on the table with one's finger a wearisome number of times, or on the floor with one's foot; repeating any rhythmical mechanical sound with annoying pertinacity.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “beating the devil's tattoo” mean?
Tapping on the table with one's finger a wearisome number of times, or on the floor with one's foot; repeating any rhythmical mechanical sound with annoying pertinacity.
Is “beating the devil's tattoo” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.